Happy New Year and welcome to my first blog of 2016. I hope that you all had a good Christmas break, which in my case brought countless opportunities to practice restorative parenting as my children squabbled over their presents.
It was also an opportunity to reflect – as we develop our work programme for next year – on where the restorative practice field has got to and what the future will bring.
The Institute for Criminal Policy Research has released an evaluation of the pre-sentence restorative justice crown court pathfinder, developed and implemented by Restorative Solutions and Victim Support. The pathfinder examined how well pre-sentence restorative justice worked in practice for serious acquisitive and violent cases in ten Crown Courts in England and Wales. Pre-sentence restorative justice was given a statutory basis by The Crime and Courts Act 2013, which enabled deferral of sentencing for a restorative justice conference.
This will be my last blog before Christmas and as 2015 draws to a close it is an opportune moment to reflect on the past year. Clearly the general election in May was a standout moment. With many planning for a coalition, possibly between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, the election of a majority Conservative government was largely unexpected. It also brought – in another surprise – Michael Gove to the Ministry of Justice.
The Justice Select Committee has decided to hold an inquiry into restorative justice. The Committee welcomes views on any aspects of the current and potential use of restorative justice in the criminal justice system.
Last week’s spending review was expected to herald unprecedented cuts across the justice system. Police budgets were expected to be slashed, while cuts in the Ministry of Justice’s budget of 30% or more were widely predicted. In the end, what emerged was nothing like as bad as many in the criminal justice world had feared.
The room was full of enthusiasm and expertise at this year’s AGM and annual conference, which was open to both RJC members and non-members. Over 130 delegates, members and RJC staff came together on Wednesday 18 November, to celebrate achievements in the field and create a collective vision for the future of restorative justice.
At the AGM and annual conference, which took place on 18 November 2015 in Canary Wharf, the RJC and its members and supporters made a point of acknowledging the high quality restorative work of individuals and organisations in the past year.
On Wednesday 18 November, a debate took place in the House of Lords on restorative justice. The debate - which took place during International Restorative Justice Week - followed a question asked by Lord Blair of Boughton, the former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
Devon Youth Offending Restorative Justice Service has become the latest organisation to attain the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM).
The RSQM is a rigorously assessed quality mark which demonstrates that services are delivering good quality, safe restorative services. Devon Youth Offending Restorative Justice Service joins 24 other RSQM holders, who work in a range of sectors, including criminal justice, education and care.
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Devon Youth Offending Restorative Justice Service has become the latest organisation to attain the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM).